3 things to know about Zach Mettenberger, LSU’s starting quarterback

Zach Mettenberger used to be a Bulldog. He was raised in Watkinsville, Ga., just a short drive from Athens. He committed early to the Bulldogs, and spent the 2009 season on Mark Richt’s team. In March 2010, Mettenberger was cited for misdemeanor sexual battery, possession of alcohol and disorderly conduct. A month later, he pleaded guilty and was dismissed from the team. After a year in junior college, Mettenberger resurfaced with LSU.

Complicating matters further is the fact that Mettemberger’s mom works as an administrative assistant for Richt. For his part, Richt gave Tammy Mettenberger the week off.

He never took a snap for the Bulldogs, but there’s no doubt that Mettenberger’s deep ties to the Georgia program are going to have an effect on Saturday’s game.

LSU coach Les Miles and coordinator Cam Cameron have a template: run the ball and pass downfield out of play action. Mettenberger is an ideal quarterback for that setup. He has a strong arm to get to deep receivers and the accuracy to fit passes into tight coverage. The results speak for themselves: through four games, Mettenberger is completing nearly 65% of his pass attempts for an absurd 11.3 yards per attempt. He is fifth nationally in yards per completion, sixth in passing efficiency and ninth in passing touchdowns (10).

At SEC Media Days this July, a reporter asked Mettenberger what Cameron had done to change his throwing mechanics. Out of nowhere, Mettenberger turned it into a swipe at Tim Tebow:

Florida fans jumped to Tebow’s defense:

Mettenberger is at 64.8% entering Saturday. Drama!

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